It’s officially fall at CU Boulder! The weather is getting colder, the leaves are changing, and Halloween is just around the corner. Here are some ways to still have a great Halloween and keep the environment in mind!
Thrift Your Costume
If you haven’t gotten your costume yet, this is a guaranteed way to make sure you have one in time! There are plenty of thrift stores around Boulder, like Goodwill, Plato’s, and Ares, with lots of fun options that can be turned into costumes. Another great idea is to take a look through your friends’ closets. An Avs or Rockies jersey can make a super cute last minute costume, or maybe they had an outfit from last year that didn’t quite work out. Bring old costumes or clothes to a swap party and help each other make some fun going-out outfits without buying something that you don’t love or might not use again. Thrifting or borrowing from friends is a great way to make sure you have a costume in time and helps to avoid generating emissions from the delivery process It’s definitely a win-win!
Make Your Own Treats
Instead of buying bags of individually wrapped candies, make your own Halloween sweets. This lessens the amount of single use plastics and also can be a fun way to spend an evening. Pinterest has lots of fun recipes if you feel like channeling your inner chef, or you can buy some cupcake mix and fun sprinkles!
Compost Food Waste
It wouldn’t be Halloween without carving some Jack O'Lanterns. Save the seeds for a yummy snack and then throw the rest into the compost bin! Then, after the 31st, when the pumpkins are starting to cave in a little or the squirrels won’t leave your porch trying to take some, you can throw the rest of the pumpkin in the compost bin as well. This prevents unnecessary waste ending up in the landfill. The same goes for apples. There’s an apple orchard north of Boulder that would be such a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Go apple picking, make some caramel apples or a pie, then make sure the cores end up in the compost!
Travel Sustainably
Walking to the parties, uber pooling, or taking the CU NightRide (it’s free!) are all great ways to get to where you’re going safely and sustainably. If you’re heading out of town for nearby haunted houses or corn mazes, ride together. It’s more fun that way and it cuts down on emissions from taking multiple vehicles. Be together and be safe this Halloween, it can be scary out there!